News

PCC, PSU join forces on reverse transfer agreement

Author: James Hill, Portland Community College

Posted: November 26, 2012

Students now have a new tool in their job-seeking arsenal. Thanks to a statewide pilot program, Portland Community College and Portland State University have agreed to recognize students’ past achievements by awarding associate’s degrees to those who have already transferred from PCC to PSU.

The students this will benefit are those that didn’t formally complete a degree via current data measures, but have fulfilled two-year degree program requirements. In October, the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development and the Oregon University System were awarded a two-year, $450,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation to develop reverse transfer agreements.

The program was announced Nov. 15 by PSU President Wim Wiewel and PCC President Preston Pulliams.

With the tough job market continuing in Oregon, reverse transfer degrees can give an extra edge to recent graduates. Having both an associate’s and bachelor’s degree on a resume can better reflect a graduate’s skills and training received over time. For those students who haven’t completed a four-year degree, but have enough accrued credits to complete a two-year degree, the designation can help them in career goals and job prospects.

About Portland State University

Located in Portland, Oregon, PSU has about 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students. PSU’s motto is “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” and we provide every student with opportunities to work with businesses, schools and organizations on real-world projects. Our downtown campus exhibits PSU’s commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while sustainability is incorporated into much of the curriculum.

About Portland Community College

PCC is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon and 19th largest in the nation, serving approximately 94,634 full- and part-time students. PCC, which is roughly the size of Rhode Island, has three comprehensive campuses, five workforce training and education centers, and 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.